A cabinet minister has been asked in Parliament whether he's prepared to be an accessory to the extinction of Maui's dolphins.
The Greens say it's going to happen unless there's a set net ban off the Taranaki coast where the highly endangered dolphins are swimming.
One recently died in a set net and MP Gareth Hughes grilled Primary Industries Minister David Carter yesterday.
Mr Carter says two ministries, agriculture and conservation, are working on a Maui's dolphin recovery plan and he's waiting for it before making any decisions on extending set net bans.
"I certainly accept that this is a species under extreme threat of extinction," he said.
"Set net banning - and the influence of human interaction – are but one factor in the death of these dolphins."
Mr Hughes says if one dolphin dies over a five to seven year period the species will become extinct.
"Given the minister's inability to guarantee that more Maui's dolphins will not die on his watch, and his refusal to implement greater protection measures now, is he prepared to be an accessory to extinction?" Mr Hughes asked.
Mr Carter repeated there were a number of reasons why Maui's dolphins were an endangered species.
There are less than 150 Maui's dolphins left in the wild, according to the Department of Conservation.
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